Palestine

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:34): On 14 May 1948, Israel declared independence, leading to war with adjoining Arab nations, and also leading to an escalation of violence perpetuated on the Palestinian people. Nakba Day, as requested by the United Nations General Assembly, is observed on 15 May each year. It commemorates the events of 1948, known as Nakba. These events led to the expulsion of approximately 750,000 Palestinians, those who fled their homes and became refugees. Eleven Arab urban neighbourhoods, and over 500 villages were destroyed or depopulated. Zionist military and militia forces captured 78 per cent of historic Palestine. At this point I would just like to emphasise that not all Jewish people are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jewish. I think it is an important distinction to make.

Between 1947 and 1949, approximately 15,000 Palestinians were killed in a series of mass atrocities, including dozens of massacres. On 9 April 1948, Zionist forces committed one of the most infamous massacres of the war in the village of Deir Yassin on the outskirts of Jerusalem. More than 110 men, women and children were killed by members of the pre-Israeli state Irgun and Stern Gang Zionist militias. The 5^th June 1967 was the first day of a six-day war resulting in another wave of displacement occurring known as the Naksa. An additional 250,000 to 300,000 Palestinians became refugees, some for the second time.

Following the Six-Day War, Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East currently has more than 5.9 million Palestinians registered as refugees. This remains the longest unresolved refugee crisis in modern times. The UN website says the following of the Nakba:

The Nakba anniversary is a reminder not only of those tragic events of 1948, but of the ongoing injustice suffered by the Palestinians. The Nakba has had a profound impact on the Palestinian people, who lost their homes, their land, and their way of life. It remains a deeply traumatic event in their collective memory and continues to shape their struggle for justice and for their right to return to their homes.

The right to return is a key demand of Palestinians and their leaders. They base their claim on a United Nations General Assembly resolution which was passed in 1948. The resolution states:

Refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practical date.

That was over 75 years ago. Israel says that it cannot allow five million refugees to return because this would overwhelm the country of 8.5 million and mean the end of the existence of a Jewish state. As terrible as these statistics are, they do not convey the sheer horror, injustice, pain and grief experienced by the Palestinian people for over 75 years.

In the most recent conflict, which continues today, over 35,000 Palestinian people have been killed. While these figures should haunt every political and community leader in the Western world, it is the lack of empathy shown by some, including some in Australia, that is the most disturbing. Such is their moral indifference that their words, for short-term political gain, inflict further pain and hurt on a community already decimated by senseless war. Nakba Day reminds us that the current conflict did not have its origins on 7 October 2023, but rather over 75 years ago. It is when we understand and accept this fact, that the Palestine-Israel conflict can be finally resolved. I pray that we are not witnessing a second Nakba.